'Indian Ocean' bassist Rahul Ram notes industry changes, says 'live shows' vital for money

Known for their folk and fusion music, rock band Indian Ocean has given us some memorable tunes like Behne Do, Bandeh and many others in the past. The band is also known for their stance against record labels as they reportedly believe in avoiding the frustration over negotiating contracts with record companies. In line with this belief, the band's lead bassist Rahul Ram recently spoke to an agency about the changing scenario in the music industry as he claimed that the only way to make money for music these days is by holding live shows and concerts for audiences.

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Rahul reportedly said that big record labels and companies have now diminished in the music industry as artists from all over the world now resort to the free online platform to showcase their talents. With the digitization and open-sourcing of music, people do not buy or collect CDs of their favourite artists anymore. The bass guitarist and lead vocalist of the Indo-rock fusion band also said that it is a bad thing for the music industry as there is no way for musicians and artists to make money except by doing live shows.

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He added that live music shows and concerts are likely to become a trend in the future as a lot has changed in the industry since the 1990s when Indian Ocean made a debut. Marking the pros and cons of the digital medium, Rahul Ram claimed that while it is a good thing that a lot of music festivals have now come to the limelight with different styles and genres of music for the audiences to enjoy, there has also been a limitation of the scope of music as people have to fight their way through to have access to these festivals. He added that with the lure of global outreach, a lot of low-grade music is also churned out in the period of shifting to the digital world.

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About the band

Members of Indian Ocean are pioneers of the fusion rock genre as their music is always experimental with a touch of folk music. The band was formed in 1990 and their music has been described by critics as Indo-rock fusion with jazz-spiced rhythms that integrates shlokas, sufism, environmentalism, mythology and revolution. The bandmates include Nikhil Rao, Amit Kilam, Rahul Ram, Himanshu Joshi and Tuheen Chakraborty and they have popular albums like Desert Rain, Kandisa and others to their credit.

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